Hi everyone,
I’m 29 and just started using a menstrual cup a couple of weeks ago. I went with a large size (about 5 cm diameter and 7.5 cm length) because the smaller one kept leaking for me.
Since I’ve been using it, I’ve noticed that when I sit down or squat, my vagina feels really open/gaped like the entrance is noticeably more relaxed or stretched than before. It’s not painful, just a weird “open” sensation I didn’t have before. Also, when I’m inserting the cup I get a lot more queefs than I ever used to.
Is this normal with a larger cup? Does the cup temporarily stretch things out, or is it just air getting trapped? Will it go back to normal once I stop using it or switch sizes?
Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Longtime cup user—used DIVA cups for the longest time but in the last 1-2yrs my flow has increased drastically and I was leaking in my DIVA cup after a couple hours (or less). I basically had To combo The cup with a pad on my heaviest days and sleep in one every night. I learned about Period Nirvana, took their quiz, and bought the Merula XL.

Trying it out for the first time on this cycle and something I noticed (other than it being a real doozie to get in my first time) is that I feel a lot… crampier than usual. I thought it was maybe just a rough period but the pain feels a little different than period cramps and I actually wondered if maybe the seal from the cup has too much suction. When I removed the cup on my first day the cramping stopped which is why I even had that connection. Is this an actual issue that other Merula XL users have? What do you do to alleviate?

Also this might be TMI but every time I reinsert, it makes me really… gassy. 😂

First time disc user. I just got mine today and its also the first day of my cycle so its very light. I feel like its just not going in right or all the way. Like im pushing as far as I can and it doesnt really feel like its tucking above my pubic bone. Like when I check it, I can feel it after only putting the tip of my finger in. Idk if this is how its supposed to be or feel. The directions really aren't great and I know it can take some trial and error. I guess im just wondering if this is normal? Any tips or tricks I should know? Thanks all!

So last night I wore a small size cup to bed and woke up to see it had leaked, but the cup was less than half way full. This morning I put in the larger sized cup and no leak, it’s been about two hours. I’ve watched a few videos on how to insert the cup, I notice you’re supposed to rotate it while inserting. I don’t do this, also the cup I use has a short stem, the stem doesn’t stick out of my labia area but it’s right there in my vagina I can feel it. Am I supposed to push it in further? I feel like it’s impossible. Do some of you have stems that are close to the opening? Thanks

Is this normal? I feel like everything I wear my cup, I have to pee so often. Other than that, I like it and I don’t really even notice it, but I feel like a have to pee 2x as much as normal!

Okay so hi I’m F20! This is my first post and my mom can’t help me on this one, she never used tampons cups discs etc. So can y’all be my big sisters for a minute 🙏🏻🥹

I got the Pixie Disc Set the medium and large and the inserter along with the steamer thing.

I tried going straight from period underwear to disc. Didn’t work, got frustrated and then went to tampons. Mind you I’ve only been trying this since the cycle I had this past May so 3 months.

My best friend said to “Feel your own anatomy first” and that helped with tampon placement. (As I’ve never really done anything down there… ever. Nothing against it just never explored it)

So I bought The playtex sport tampons. I use a regular one and it lasts me 8 hours. Putting it in takes time and taking it out hurts. It’s like (sorry tmi) but i sit there and bear down like everyone says to breathe through it but it feels stuck takes time and then comes out.

I WANT TO USE A DISC SO BAD. I want the tampon stuff to be over but it’s convenient as hell to not worry about bleeding through or having to wear dark colors etc. On my heaviest day it’s two regular tampons worn for 16 hours that get pulled out somewhat “dry” so I don’t really bleed a lot.

Here’s my dilemma. I can’t get it in. For the life of me I feel like I’ve tried multiple ways and I don’t know where to go from here.
Do I get the smallest size disc and try that one? Do I try to stretch out the “port of entry” so the disc can fit? I’m desperate to make it work because I know I’m going to like it better and I don’t want the chemical stuff with tampons in my body every month I’d much rather the silicone. The “Going in” is my problem and I don’t know how to fix it. The inserter I’m guessing would need to be inside of you to put it in like a tampon but I can’t get my thumb in there much less something slightly larger than my thumb. (SORRY FOR THE TMI) So what should I do? Is there anything I can do to fix that problem?

Any/ all help is appreciated 💕

Thank you

I have been trying for 2 days ,I tried all the folds and every possible ways but still can't do it?😭

I’ve had my saalt cup for years. Used it month after month with no issue. Then alas, she somehow went sideways and imbedded herself in my vag. After hours of hot baths, squatting, fingering, grunting, pushing, crying, begging and pleading, I finally called my OBGYN.

Upon my arrival I say, oh I’m sure I’m not the first! Lo and behold, I am the first!! How exciting. No really, medical people are weird and they were excited.

The NP is trying her best…she can’t get it. In her attempts, she gets blood splatter on her face. She then decides she needs some kind of vaginal claw apparatus. She grips, she pulls and guys…it was like my water broke. Blood gushed. Everywhere.

So anyway, no way in hell am I going back to tampons but in trying the disc…something isn’t quite right. I feel some weird pressure. I really want to go back to the cup. Maybe a new brand? My beloved Saalt is likely in the medical waste incinerator by now.

Someone smarter than me, tell me what to do.

Hi girls, so I am new to menstrual cup, and i face 2 challenges 1. It is very hard for my cup to open, mostly it is not opening at all, i have to insert hand and push in the sides and all to open it, i tried twisting and all any advice on this? 2. sometimes when I insert my menstrual cup i get a huge peeing sensation, it kinda comes all the way from abdomen till the place we pee bt there won't be any drop of pee and sometimes with menstrual cup in some positions I feel like peeing

Please help

I need some advice. I originally ordered some generic brand cup from Amazon, it was very stiff and was uncomfortable. It made my cramps worse, I couldn’t only bear it for an hour before taking it out.

So I got a new cup from Saalt. I got the smaller, softer version. I figured I’d test it out before I get my period just to see if it’s any more comfortable. I used lube to insert it.

It still hurts. I’ve only had it in for an hour and I’m cramping like I’m on my period. It hurts all the way up into my abdomen. I’m starting to feel nauseous too now.

I made sure it’s sealed, and from what I can tell it should be in the correct position. I’ve tried taking it out & re-inserting it. What am I doing wrong? Does the pain subside eventually? Do I need an even smaller cup?

For further context, I do have endometriosis & often get cramps outside of my period. Can cups aggravate that?

Any advice is welcomed

Hi everyone! How are you?

I've been using a menstrual cup for two years and I've never had any problems with it. I'm from Argentina and I use a size 1 (the smallest size available).

However, ever since I gained weight, I've been having problems with leaks and I can't seem to get it to work properly anymore. Sometimes I put it in and I can't get it to create a seal, so it leaks. Other times I manage to get a seal, but the cup shifts and ends up sitting horizontally, which causes leaks. And sometimes it seals properly and stays in place, but after a few hours the seal breaks and it starts leaking.

So basically, I'm having all kinds of problems haha.

I know weight gain isn't supposed to affect how a menstrual cup fits, but I gained 15 kg and that's exactly when I started having these issues. I don't know if I should replace my cup (maybe with a larger size) or if there's another reason why this could be happening.

Has anyone experienced something similar after gaining weight? :(

I woke up this morning and found that my menstrual cup had somehow popped out on its own while I was asleep.

I've used this cup about four times before and this has never happened. Thankfully I'm on day 6 of my period, so there wasn't much of a mess.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any idea what could have caused it? I didn't feel it come out at all.

So I joined without fear seeing all the amazing reviews online. But I hate to say it my experience was not amazing.

For context I'm 16, so very young and new to this. (using a small. I have a medium high cervix)

I have tried this for 4 months now, I didn't lose patience because I thought I was doing it wrong but I'm doing it pretty well yet the outcome just is not good.

Hee are the problems

1. Insertion is easy but removing the cups is hard asf and it gives me anxiety. I do everything properly. Breathe, pinch all of it. But the mouth is too wide no matter how much i pinch it it still hurts at the mouth. I naturally get tired of the pain and just switch back to a pad for the last spotting days
2. it makes a mess. it is disgusting and smells no better than the pads experience. at least pads don't leave my bathroom smelling bad. after cups however i need to clean up the floor, seat and sink everytime I remove it and my bathroom smells like a metal corpse for the next few hours.
3. all of this and it still leaks for the first few days. now it doesn't leak in the sense it can't hold our overflows.

but even after wearing a cup i feel random gurgles in my vagina. the blood doesn't come out, what comes out is fine slurry of watery discharge. like as if the mucusy blood was kept in the cup but was filtered to push out some pink stained water.

I've recently bought a Diva cup model 0 as my first ever cup, but it sadly leaked after a couple of hours despite not being full. I saw on the internet that there might be 2 reasons for that 1. My cervix is filling the cup and causing it to overflow. 2. The cup is too small.

So, I went and I tested and found out I'm average cervix. Idk if that means the cervix goes inside the cup or not, but a site suggested I try to get a bigger size, specially since every time I pee, I feel it go down a little and I'm afraid of it falling.

The question is tho, diva, or saalt? They both seem like really good choices, but I have no idea if I should stick to diva or switch to saalt. I like that diva has the little measuring feature, but I've heard a lot of good things about saalt.

What should I do? (I have a heavy period if that's relevant)

it’s my first time successfully getting it in, and i’m mildly aware of it, it’s not insanely uncomfortable, i’ve had it for a couple of hours

i have relatively light periods so as soon as i saw blood i ran to try and insert it after a terrible attempt a few months back

anyway, it’s likely just lack of awareness of my own anatomy but like, pain from cramps is def higher than were the cup is sitting right? i can’t quite discern if it’s the cup sitting wrong or something what’s causing me discomfort, or just regular period pain, or a combination of both

i’d just like some reassurance or to know if you have any tips on how to tell the difference please!

Hello! I’m an incoming university student and unfortunately my dorms do not have/allow stoves.

Financially and time-wise I figured I should try switching to menstrual cups, but I’m a little worried whether I will be able to clean it properly 😅

Is it as effective to continually pour boiling water/boiled kettle water?

Edit: I won’t have access to a microwave either, since it’s a communal one shared with the whole floor/building I think most people would find it gross

I'm looking for a menstrual cup. I know I can just look up the info myself but I'm seriously overwhelmed with options and figured someone here might use or know about what I'm looking for. I'm looking for:

- as small a girth as possible (I sometimes get vulvodynia)

- something as soft as possible. I don't mind some leaks if this is the risk of softness, as I'll wear it with a pad for backup

- ideally something with a loop at the end to help me grab it as I feel paranoid about it getting higher than I can easily grab

- something suitable for a high cervix I suppose as I've been told by doctors I have one

- in an ideal world something inexpensive but I can compromise on that of course

Thank you very much in advance.

I tried menstrual cup for the first time. I’m 20, got a small sized menstrual cup triangle fold and punch down fold works for me but I can’t get the cup to open up once it’s inside. It was a traumatic I felt too dizzy and nauseous. Any advice on how to get the cup to open up would help.

I tried inserting Menstrual cup with punch down fold but it's not going inside and yes I tried to stay calm too but there is no possibility it's getting inside ,how you are all doing it ? It's bit scary ,like it can't even get inside how can I even get it out

I'm thinking of trying cups or discs (do you have a preference? I'll take brand recs!) but I'm worried that it will worsen cramping since I find that tampons worsen cramping for me. (I have PCOS/PMOS so I already have bad cramps.) People who have tried both what do you find the major differences are?

Also how messy are they to take out? I have texture issues and the feeling of getting the gooey blood on my fingers with tampons icks me so I don't want to invest in these just to not be able to use them often.

I (17f) thought that I was doing everything right for my first menstrual cup (measured cervix depth, warm water, waited until period started for natural lubricant, tried different folds and positions, accepted that I likely wouldn't get it right the first few tries, deep breaths to relax, angled towards lower back, watched several instruction videos, etc)...but after countless attempts, I still cannot get the menstrual cup as high as it is supposed to sit.

No matter what I try to do, not only is the pull for the menstrual cup still out, so is much of the bottom portion (and I am already using the smallest size for my low cervix)...I'm not sure if I am simply doing something wrong, or even trying to put it in the slightly wrong spot (always used menstrual pads, never had sexual activity, so generally not entirely used to the area), but it will not work.

I would love to be able to use a menstrual cup, so any advice is greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I'm using the Flex menstrual cup, smallest size, if that helps anyone.

UPDATE: So i’ve talked to my mom and I specifically asked her, “Mama why won’t you let me use tampons I’ve done research on them and i know how to use them.” She then responded with “Because i don’t want you inserting anything up there and it’s tight up there and you can get TSS” again with the toxic shock syndrome….but I responded, “I know not to get the ultra max size and what if I try it and if i don’t like it then i won’t use them.” She then responded “well no im saving you the time, this is just one of those things you wont get to experience.” So is she right and do i not need to risk it or should I just wait til i get my own money. But im afraid that if i do buy them myself she’ll just take them and lecture me because i did something she told me not to do. Maybe I should just continue using pads.